Jomalig Island: Revisited

Isn’t it obvious how I fell in love with this island that I went back in just less than 6 months? Our first visit was a big challenge but it left us curious to explore more so we decided to be back. As mentioned on my first post, it wasn’t the perfect time that time. Since is almost the end of summer in the Philippines, we didn’t miss the chance of the calmer months. The 6 hour both ride became 5 and we don’t have to take connecting boat rides this time.

Getting sunburn in style! lol

I don’t usually do itineraries whenever I go somewhere. For me planning everything removes the essence of adventure. I usually just set the date to leave and come back and leave everything in between open. But since I am being ask to have one every time by my travel buddy, here’s what I came up with.

Day 1

5:00 AM – Van from Legarda in Sampaloc Manila to Real Quezon

9:00 AM – Arrival in Real (Buy additional food and drinking water)

10:00 AM – Estimated Departure from Real

4:00 PM – Estimated Arrival in Jomalig

Camping in Salibungot Beach

Day 2

10:00 AM – Motobike ride to Kanaway

Camping in Kanaway Islet.

Day 3

Open to whatever we decide

Day 4

Back to Manila

We’ll sounds like a good plan right? But since the island is still at very early stage of becoming a holiday/adventure destination schedule of boats going in and out of the island is not definite. We have to cut our planned stay short since there is no boat going back to Real Quezon on the day we planned to leave. Being stranded actually sounds like a good idea to me. But being a corporate slave, I need to be back to work still.

Salibungot beach

I will always love this beach. It was the first part of the island that we set foot and almost kissed after dealing with the most gigantic waves we ever encountered in our entire life on our first visit. I can still remember clearly in my mind how beautiful it is at that moment. Now that it’s the calm season, it was even more beautiful. The water is so clear now that we can see what’s underneath. Of course, its unique golden sands never lose its charm.

Clear waters of Salibungot Beach

Kanaway Islet (Pulong Maliit)

This is probably the spot in Jomalig that I don’t want to miss out. I went crazy the last time we were here with its beauty that I even forgot to put on some sunscreen. This time, we decided to camp overnight and not just do a day tour. The idea of camping in a very small island, about just a size of a movie theater, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean excites me. How many times in your life you’ll get a chance to do that?! Thankfully we were the only one who decided to camp or else it will going to be so crowded. We enjoyed the night under the stars eating 3 huge grilled fish that we bought fresh form locals for only 60Php.

Pacific Sunrise at it’s finest!

Since our planned stay was cut short, we didn’t get the chance to explore other areas more. We’ll another reason to comeback right? According to our boatman who I had conversations with on our way back, there is a nearby island as beautiful as Balesin. I haven’t been to Balesin and I’m not even sure if I’ll get a chance to visit it since it’s only exclusive for members. Being compared to Balesin it suddenly excites me. I can’t wait now till next summer. Maybe Jomali-bor day? Who knows!

Hello. If you’re just planning to camp sa Salibungot beach 2k is more than enough. Pero if your planning to see other parts of the island, short distance trip via motorbike will cost 100 per way. Long distance like sitio Kanaway will cost around 600-700 round trip. Whoa “ber” season up to around January is not really advisable because of rough sea condition although boat going to the island id still available, but if you’re up to the challenge, it’s worth the experience I think. That’s what we did the first time we went there. Thanks for reading. Good luck!

Hi Sir! Nice blog about Jomalig. i’m now planning to go in November, though you’ve mentioned about the rough sea, it’s okay. Thanks for sharing this. It’s very informative, you have nice shots of the place too. 🙂

Hi, thanks for reading! Yes the sea is usually rough during “ber” months but it’s still possible to visit the island. Just bring enough courage and patience for the long boat ride. 😁 Good luck and I hope you’ll enjoy Jomalig as much as we did.

Hi Claire! We don’t have any contact person on the island. If you’ll be staying only in Salibungot beach, I think there is no need for a guide. But if you will visit Kanaway Islets which is on the other side of the island, just ask any of the locals and they will assist you.

Hi, thanks for reading! Aside from the food and all camping gears, what to bring really depends on what you want to do. Last time we went there I just brought a hammock and my own snorkeling mask. If youre not a good swimmer, I recommend bringing floaters. The waters of Jomalig is usually deep specially in Salibungot beach. Aside from that bring a lot of patience. You’ll need it going there and back. 😀

Hi. The last time we went to Jomalig, there’s at least 1 boat leaving everyday between 9am-12noon. The exact departure depends on how fast they load cargos. As of Polillo hindi ko sya napasin last time because the Port setup in Real is not that organized, but I remember reading a blog before because I was eyeing the island as well. According to the article, there are 3 boat trips to Polillo, earliest is at 5am and the last will leave at 9am.

Hi! I wasn’t able to get any contact when I went there but a friend of mine who I met on the island hired the boat of below contact when they organized a tour. You may check with him if may byahe sila on the dates you preferred.

Hi! I only commute when travelling. I friend of mine told me that they were able to park before sa bahay ng isa sa mga bangkero dun. He just can’t remember the name anymore. Tanong tanong nlang siguro dun kung san pwede. I’m sure you’ll find one.

I think Salibungot is very safe. There is no washroom in most part of Salibungot but there is a small community there. As far as I know there’s a bathroom that visitors can use. Haven’t seen it though since the last time were there, we washed up near a water pump then change our clothes in one of the locals’ bathroom.